The invention concerns a chain link for a conveying chain of a machine of the tobacco-processing industry, in particular a storage device for a rod-shaped tobacco product, with holding means for a hinge pin and with a hinge pin bearing for connecting the chain link to adjacent chain links, and with a carrying surface for carrying a tobacco product, which carrying surface is arranged substantially parallel to the hinge plane defined by the hinge axes, wherein the chain link is designed laterally for cooperation with a deflection plate of the machine which rotates about a substantially vertical axis, wherein during co-operation with the deflection plate the chain link is designed to pivot about a longitudinal pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chain link.
Chain links for a conveying chain are known from EP 0 680 898 B1 or DE 43 12 864 C2. When using such chain links for conveying chains, for example, in cigarette storage devices with deflection plates whose axis of rotation is inclined to the vertical, there is provision for pivoting the chain link about a longitudinal pivot axis in the region of contact between chain link and deflection wheel, in order to keep the carrying surface of the chain links horizontal during deflection. With this arrangement, the tensile stress of the conveying chain in the region of the deflection plate causes a pivot moment on the chain links which is in practice received by a position-fixing guide on the outside of the deflected chain links. The longer the portion of the conveying chain which cooperates with deflection plates, the more the friction losses associated with the above have an adverse effect.
In the state of the art, the hinge plane is arranged above the middle between the carrying surface and a lower side of the chain link opposite the carrying surface (see EP 0 680 898 B1), in order to produce compensation for the pivot moment caused by the product conveyed. On the other hand, however, as a result of the chain tension, this arrangement leads to a pivot moment on the chain link about a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal axis and hence aggravation of the above-mentioned problems.
When using chain links for conveying chains in machines with deflection rollers whose axis of rotation is arranged substantially horizontally, a disadvantageous bending moment on the chain links cooperating with the deflection roller arises due to the tensile stress of the conveying chain when these chain links cooperate with the deflection roller on the side of their carrying surface roughly in the middle between the hinge pin and the hinge pin bearing. This could be avoided by using deflection rollers of polygonal cross-section, each polygonal section being provided for cooperation with one chain link. For example, owing to wear of the conveying chain, this can lead to problems in synchronization between conveying chain and deflection plate. Further, keeping the conveying chain in a horizontal plane poses problems with a polygonal deflection roller.